Monthly Archives: September 2012

Post navigation

Tonight, I am headed to dinner with two executives from my old job. We are meeting at The Oceanaire Seafood Room, a seafood restaurant in D.C. Since I am notorious for taking forever-and-a-day to decide on my meal, I browsed the online menu beforehand. Salmon wins everytime. It’s probably the only seafood I eat. I want to be able to focus on the conversation rather than what my order will be for the evening.

I still need to pack for my trip to Philadelphia tomorrow. I have an early wake-up call but it will be worth it. The PA Conference for Women has such a great lineup of speakers. I will be the biggest sponge there, soaking up all the knowledge and wisdom that will certainly envelope the room.

I am enamored with fall weather. I love the change in foliage. I love the bright days and humidity-free air. I love relaxing on such a nice, simple day. I ended the week on a promising note. A lot of good follow up and future work that will be featured in online magazines and blogs. The week was a long one and I was exhausted by Friday afternoon. In the last 24 hours, I’ve taken two intense siestas on top of my nightly slumber. I can honestly say that I am rested and ready to get back to work in the morning.

Working six days of week is demanding. The reality is that I cannot fall behind. It’s in my best interest to work harder than I ever have before. Nonetheless, I need to be more perceptive of my time management and wellness while developing an overall balance. Naturally, the concept of making sense of building a business and having a life is easier said then done.

Since I start my workweek on Sunday, I always like to tackle my emails and get as many assignments under control as possible. In terms of allocating my time, I think I might need to do a little re-adjusting and just place realistic boundaries on my goals. You cannot do everything. Prior to reading a Forbes.com article this evening, a quote appeared that is so apropos.

“Business demands faith, compels earnestness, requires courage, is honestly selfish, is penalized for mistakes, and is the essence of life.” – William Feather

On Tuesday, I was so very tempted to not go to the NAPW meeting, even though I already mentioned my curiosity and interest for attending. Alas, I went. I ended up at Tempo Restaurant in Alexandria. The pasta shells and cream sauce was okay. I was more interested in meeting the women. The Chapter President, Andrea Hancock, was so friendly. I even got a gift at the end of the meeting! She started her own professional organizing business last year. I will definitely be interviewing her in the near future. I peppered her with a bunch of questions and she seemed willing and ready to answer them. I think she has a good story to share. I just need to follow up with her and we’ll take it from there. I met a few other women as well and hope to connect with more soon. There are chapters all over the place. This organization might be up my alley, so I will need to decide if I want to become a member or not.

The informational interview planned for Tuesday was postponed till next week. Things change, so I try to stay limber and keep moving. What’s been moving lately is my activity on Twitter (@Lucky_IJ). I have gotten a handful of followers in a short amount of time. I’ve been tweeting and retweeting messages as often as I can. Usually, I send quick messages in the morning and again the evening. Social media is fascinating because it’s ever-changing. There is no constant, or so it seems. Tweetreach has helped me track where my tweets are going, based on my the number of tweets and followers. I see gains, which is promising.

Aside from networking and working on my internships, I still volunteer! I will be helping out at the Brides Against Cancer event in D.C. this evening. It’s a great cause and should be a lot of fun. I will need my strength and energy because I am sure it will be a frenetic evening.

After a busy week, it was nice to relax this weekend. During worship service, I was reminded of two things – to give generously and to follow His path. I can never go wrong with that type of guidance and advice. The Sabbath is always a good reminder to rest.

This weekend, I also got a new copy of Inc. magazine, which is funny because I’m still processing last month’s issue. Inc. magazine is a publication and website for entrepreneurs and business owners. I always read my issue front to cover. The September issue included the list the fastest growing companies, based on a set of metrics that Inc. compiles. The profiles of companies and their respective business owners is always a fascinating read. I enjoyed reading about Indigo Johnson, an African-American woman who runs a talent management company in Georgia. She would be a great person to interview. I haven’t finished the current issue yet, but the piece about one of Fab.com’s co-founders was riveting. I think I might re-read it.

Showing my support!

Speaking of interviews, I have an informational interview tomorrow. I will definitely give a recap about how it goes. I’m hoping to line up a few others as I solidify my Midwest tour. Aside from hitting America’s heartland, I am heading to Philadelphia next week. I am really looking forward to volunteering at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women! I hope I get a chance to talk to Tory Johnson, a small business expert and a Good Morning America contributor. I’ve been a big fan since I learned of her story and her Sparkle & Hustle events last summer. I’ve joined the conference’s Linkedin group and will send an email to be a guest blogger. Along with supporting women and their businesses, the conference will collect accessories on behalf of Career Wardrobe, a nonprofit that offers professional wear and career education for women in transition.

There are a lot of great events and programs ahead but I’m taking it one day at a time.

Thank goodness it’s Friday. I started the day bright and early, yet again. After two meetings, I got home around three. I had a phone/gotomeeting this afternoon about the business development work I will be doing this fall. I have a lot of research and reading to do this weekend. Here’s a recap of a few items from earlier in the week.

I ended up talking more about my blog this week than I have since I started it. I sent an email to two friends from my City Year Philadelphia program. I mentioned it to former co-workers, past supervisors, a few close friends and a few of the other bloggers I met at BlogHer. One of them is Peach Prenni. Her real name is Anne. She was very helpful and encouraged me to use Blogger, which I did. I’ve even added my Twitter account (@Lucky_IJ) and my blog link to my email signature. No point in being shy.

Being flexible and ready for anything helped opened doors for me this week. I have new opportunities in business development and marketing for two small businesses, one of which is owned by a woman. I have a plethora of ideas that need to be organized, either in Google or Evernote. I also have a growing list of book titles, thanks to my career coaching session yesterday. And that was after, I had picked up a few books from the library. At the end of the day, the more I know the better. I’ve learned a lot from all my experiences this week. It’s cliché but…. knowledge is power.

I seriously need a nap. I woke up before seven this morning to volunteer. Unfortunately, there was traffic and minor delays on Metro. I was already running behind and those two predicaments did not alleviate my situation in the least. Funny enough, I never found the volunteer site. The building was locked and I never saw a soul or any signage. So, what did I do? I went to Starbucks. I’m not a coffee drinker but I do love free WiFi! I double checked my email to make sure I had the correct information, which I did. Never heard from anyone. Lesson learned: Confirm all details 24 hours and get a contact name and number.

Sun’s so bright at Starbucks

I did enjoy the nice weather and took a stroll before heading back home. Aside from that morning snafu, I got an email back from Alaina at The Everygirl, one of my favorite career sites for young women. I was surprised but happy for her quick response. Looks like we will be meeting up soon!

On another note, in the last 24 hours, I’ve sold two shoes on eBay! I am not sure if I’m even close to mastering any type of sales strategy but I do sell some cute shoes. I hope the buyers write a glowing review of my customer service. After all, I do provide free shipping.

To round out this day, I have a career coaching call with Anna Runyan of Classy Career Girl. Not sure what to expect but I’m open-minded. It certainly can’t hurt to get some professional advice and guidance. And this session is free!

Off to finish a few errands before that call. Glad tomorrow is Friday. I will re-cap all the running around I did and add a few more pictures too. Cheers.

I should be sleeping or at least in the process of sleeping but I cannot get over the fact that I have a Blackberry. I am hesitant to use it because I don’t want to damage it or worse, break it entirely. I came to possess said device by way of my business development internship. My friend’s dad owns a new-ish business and is looking for someone to drive leads and find potential clients. I am a learner and worker, so this opportunity might be a great fit. We had a nice business lunch in beautiful Old Town Alexandria. As usual, I forgot to take pictures but I dressed nicely and brought copies of my resume. I had the opportunity to talk about my interest in business and past work experience. It was nice to hear from a new business owner. It’s exciting to be a part of something that is growing.

Yesterday and today were long and busy. Tomorrow won’t be any different. Networking, going to events or meeting up with people is a lot of work. I suppose it’s the only way to make connections and be “in-the-know”. I wasn’t feeling too well by the time I got home so I skipped out on two other events that I was looking forward to but I’m too worried.

Though last night’s NAPW meeting was cancelled I got a great book from Lisa Goodnight at AAUW. Secrets of Powerful Women: Leading Change for A New Generation has been a good read thus far. There are so many inspirational stories and quotes. One of my favorites is, “collect experiences, not things” from Grey Wolf. A simple truth to mull over the next few days…